Appliance to prevent railway-track rails from spreading.



No. 886,315. I PATENTED APR. 28, 1908. J. M. DE WITT.

APPLIANCE TO PREVENT RAILWAY TRACK RAILS FROM SPREADING. APPLICATION FILED JULY 25, 1907.

Affomeygf JAMES M ORE DE WIIT, OF BLOOMSBURG, PE

NNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH TO WM. G. JOHNSTON, OF BLOOMSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPLIANCE TO PREVENT RAILWAY-TRACK RAILS FROM SPREADING.

No. 886,315. Specification of Application filed July 25,

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES Letters Patent.

1907. Serial No. 385,451.

Patented April 28, 1908.

form the downwardly extending section 8 'M. DE l/VrrT, a and the horizontal section 9 and .it is obvious citizen ofthe United States, residing at that the inner ends of the members 3 and 4 Bloomsburg, in the county of Columbia and when State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Appliances to Prevent Railway-Track Rails from Spreading; and I do hereby declare the. following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates=to the construction of railways and more particularly .to means for preventing track rails from spreading or having a relative movement and my invention consists of certain novel features of con struction and combination of parts, the parts bein made of iron, steel or any suitable mater'fai i and as will be hereinafter set forth and pointed out in the claims, reference being had td the accompanying drawings which are made a part of this application, and in which.

Figure 1 shows a top plan view of the section trackway of the railroad with my invention secured to the track rails. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of Fig. 1 on dotted line 22 thereof. Fig- 3 is a detail in section on a slightly enlarged scale from that shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail form of one form of locking wedge. Fig. 5 is a detail view of another form of the locking wedge.

For convenience of description, designating numerals will be applied to the various detailsof my invention, the same numeral being used to represent the same parts in the several views. Referring to the numerals on the drawings, 1 indicates track rails of the usual or any preferred construction and 2 designates cross ties also of the construction and in order that the track rails may be reliably secured in their adjusted position upon the cross ties, I provide a pair of cooperating clamping bars 3 and 4, each so bent at its outer end, that it is provided with an overreaching lip 5, designed to engage the outer edge of the rail base and stand and. thereby prevent further outward movement of the directed portion 6 and the horizonta track rails after proper adjustment thereof, as will be hereinafter more clearly set forth.

The inner end of the member 3 is bent u on itself so as to provide the u wardly section 7,disposed parallel with the member 3, while the member 4 is bent at its inner end so as to thus bent and shaped, will interfit with each other and in order that said parts 1 may be reliably locked in adjusted union, 1 provide in said parts suitable registering aper- I tures adapted to receive, first, the interlock-- ing member 10, having the parallel fingers 11 and 12 sufficiently separated to receive members 3 and 4 and after the interlocking 1 device 10 has'been thus located in position, Y I secure the same by means of the wedge like device 13, which may have a plain or smooth inner edge or face to cooperate-with the opposed face of the member 10 or each of said faces may be corrugated as designated by the numeral 14in Fig. 3. By corrugating or roughening the opposing faces of the members 10 and 13, it is obvious that when the. member 13 is driven securely home in its seat, the parts will bereliably locked in union. if said opposing faces of said members are leftsmooth, then I prefer to rovide an aperture 15, through which a locliing pin may be introduced or the lower edge of the locking wedge 13 may be split lon itudinally, the one side or portion of said loc dug-wedge so split being made longer than the other side or portion and the longer side or portion ofrsaid locking-wedge is to be bent or driven back to clenchwhereby the locking-wedge will be held against casual removal and the parts will be reliably locked in union.

The registering apertures in the overlapping such character that the track rails will be gradually drawn towards each other and the locking-wedge 13 is driven home in its seat, and it, therefore, follows that after said locking-wedge has been inserted a sufficient depth to bring the track rails into proper alincment and into the desired and proper position, said wedge may be locked in its seat by inserting a pin in the aperture or by the bent clench of the longer portion of the lockingwedge or otherwise.

opposed or meeting end-portions formed between them the assembled ends of the ends of the members 3 and 4 are of Y liaviin thus full r described-the construcwith reversely extending terminals, one of which overlies the other, and means adapted for engagement with said meeting end-p01 tions and for locking the same together.

2. A locking device for track-rails, comprisingrail-connecting members having their meeting end-portions formed with reversely extending terminals, one of which overlies the other and means adapted for locking the same together, said meeting end-portions and their reversely extending terminals be ing' provided with coincident or registering slots for receiving said locking means.

3. A'locking device for track-rails, comprising rail-eonnecting members having their meeting end-portions formed with reversely extendlng terminals, one of which overlies the other, and locking wedges or keys, said meeting end-portions together with their reversely extending terminals having coincident or registering slots for receiving said locking wedges or keys.

4. A locking device for track-rails, comprising rail-connecting members having their meeting end-portions formed with reversely extending terminals one of which overlies the other of said meeting end-portions, together with said reversely extending terminals, having registering slots, and locking members insertible through said slots, one of said locking members having opposite-end projections embracing said meeting end portions and said reverselyextending terminals and the other member engaging the aforesaid member and equipped with means for securing the same in eiiective position.

5. A locking device for track-rails, consisting of rail connecting bar-members having their meeting end portions formed with reversely extending terminals, one of which overlies the other, said meeting end-portions, together with said reversely extending terminals, having registering slots, and looking members insertible through said slots, one looking member having opposite-end projections embracing said meeting endportions and said reversely extending terminals, and the other locking member having a split lower end adapted to be clenched In place, said locking members having serrated interlocking meet-mg surfaces.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' JAiliES MORE DE WITT. l Vitinesses k ESTHER Anno'rr, 

